Day and Night
by TessaStarDean
Summary: Crossover with CSI Miami. The Miami crew joins Vegas, but they have no idea what their future holds. Rating at T for future chapters.
1. Prologue

As his team gathered around him, Horatio looked at each of them closely. He knew that they weren't going to like the news he had. He knew that there would be arguments, that they would be upset. But he also hoped that the deal he had been able to make would lessen the blow.

"What's up, H?" Eric asked.

He put his hands on his hips and looked off into the distance, trying to calm his nerves. He wasn't someone who felt anxiety often, and he found that he wasn't dealing well with it.

"I have some news," he said slowly. "And I don't think you're going to like it."

"What is it, Horatio?" Calleigh asked, concern etched on her face.

"I've been asked to transfer."

"What? Why?"

"There's an opening in Las Vegas. Or there will be soon…I've been asked to take the position."

"But why?" Calleigh persisted. "Why do they want you to leave Miami?"

"They want someone with a scientific background, but who's also trained as an officer. It's also a step up in pay. It was offered to me as a promotion."

"So…you're leaving us?" Ryan asked quietly.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"I told them that I would only consider the job on one condition. That my team could come with me."

"You…what?" Natalia asked, frowning in confusion.

"I don't expect you to just leave your homes. But I needed the option. And they agreed. If you want to…you can come with me."

The five of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, Horatio's team trying to take in what they had just been told. The situation was so unexpected that no one was entirely sure what to think.

"It's for real?" Ryan finally asked. "We'd be on your team out there, no questions asked?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. Wolfe."

Taking a deep breath, Ryan looked down at the floor, scuffing at the tile with his shoe.

"I'm in," he finally said.

Horatio raised his eyebrows a little.

"Are you sure? You have time to think about it."

Ryan shrugged. "I've got nothing to hold me to Miami except you guys."

"Count me in too," Natalia said. "I need a change of scenery anyways."

"Me too," Eric said quietly.

"I didn't expect this," Horatio admitted.

"Does that mean you don't really want us?" Calleigh asked with a smirk on her face.

"Ms. Duquesne, there is nothing I'd like more than to have all four of you come with me."

"Then I guess it's a good thing we'll all be coming with you."

"Are you sure?"

"You don't actually think I'm going to let the three of you move across the country without me, do you?"

"Thank you," Horatio said quietly, his emotion catching in his throat.

"So when do we leave?" Eric asked.

"Three weeks from today."

"Guess we'd better get packing then," Natalia murmured.

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"You can't be serious," Warrick said, his eyes wide in shock as he stared at Grissom.

"I am."

"But…why?"

"I just…I need to go. I'm sorry I can't be more specific than that."

His glance to Sara was quick and barely noticeable. He had told her the day before of his decision to leave Las Vegas. She had handled it as well as he had expected – since her abduction, he had known that things weren't the same between them. He couldn't give her what she needed, and she wouldn't open up to him. They had talked about everything – where they had gone wrong, what the other was going to do. He was glad that they could end this as friends, with nothing but the truth between them.

"So…are we stuck with Eckley then?" Nick asked suddenly.

Grissom smiled a little at that.

"No. You're not."

"So who's the new boss?" Catherine asked.

"Someone new. He's coming in from Miami."

Nick frowned. "Why would they bring someone in from so far away?"

"They wanted a scientist and a cop rolled into one. Horatio Cane is one of the best. He'll be a good supervisor."

"He's not you though," Warrick mumbled.

"But I know you'll be nice to him," Grissom said with a pointed look. When Warrick finally nodded, he took a deep breath. "There's something else."

"Uh-oh," Catherine said. "I knew that wasn't it."

"Horatio is bringing his team with him."

"To work on grave?" Nick asked. "Don't we have enough people?"

"Not anymore. Wendy and Mandy both gave me their two weeks notice on Monday. Ronnie is transferring to New York. You ask me, we're going to need his people."

"So…you're basically telling us that we have to play nice?" Warrick asked, doubt heavy in his voice.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I don't want you guys giving his team a hard time. They're excellent C.S.I.s and they deserve your respect. You might even learn things from each other. Or God forbid, make new friends."

"Never," Nick vowed, a mock serious expression on his face.

"When do they get here?" Catherine asked.

"Three weeks. I'll stay on for another week after that, to help everybody get situated."

"So we only have another month to drive you crazy?" Nick asked. "Guess we'd better get on the ball."

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"Calleigh Duquesne, Eric Delco, Ryan Wolfe, Natalia Boa Vista and Horatio Cane…I'd like you to meet Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown, Catherine Willows and Greg Sanders."

Grissom watched as the C.S.I.s tentatively greeted one another. The guys stoically shook hands, giving each other nods. But at the same time they eyed each other warily, as though afraid that someone would encroach on their territory. Grissom guessed that the majority of problems that arose in the beginning would be because of that. Either someone would step on someone else's toes on a case, or one of the guys would make a pass at one of the women. He knew from experience that Warrick and Nick could be very territorial when it came to Sara and Catherine, and he was guessing that it would be the same with Delco and Wolfe.

The women greeted each other in a slightly more relaxed manner. They shook hands, but they at least tried to smile at one another. They were territorial as well, but they would be quiet about it. They would feel each other out, deciphering the other's motives before they made a final judgment. Grissom smiled faintly – he wouldn't be surprised if those four women found out that they had more in common than they thought and became close friends.

It was then that it hit him. He was really going to miss them. His family was growing, and he was leaving them. He was leaving them in someone else's care. For a split second, he thought of calling the whole thing off, retracting his letter of resignation and refusing to leave. But at the same time, he knew that he couldn't do that. It was time for him to move on. No good could come of him staying there any longer.

As he continued to watch the C.S.I.s adjust to the new situation, Grissom knew that the next few weeks were going to be hard on them, that two families couldn't just merge without misunderstandings and conflicts. But he also knew that if they could come together, nothing would be able to stop them. Nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

"So," Greg said as he came up beside Calleigh in the hall. "You're the Gun Girl."

She couldn't help but laugh.

"The Gun Girl?"

Greg shrugged. "That's what Ryan said. A nickname from Miami?"

"Yep. It's how I ended up on Horatio's team, actually."

"Cool. It'll be nice to have a weapons expert on hand." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm glad you guys are here."

Calleigh smiled. "Thanks, Greg. You know, I think this might just work out. Our teams merging, I mean."

"You had doubts?"

"Didn't you?"

"Yes. But I'm curious about what yours were."

"Well, we have some alpha personalities on our team – mainly Eric and I. Those don't always mesh well when you're joining another group. And I was afraid that you guys might resent us since your boss is leaving and ours is taking over."

"Nah. We know that Grissom is leaving for personal reasons. We don't blame you guys for that."

"So what were your doubts?"

Greg shrugged. "Favoritism. Horatio's been with you guys for a long time. I think we were all a little worried we'd be treated like the unwanted children."

"Horatio isn't like that."

"So I'm starting to see."

Calleigh stopped suddenly and frowned. Greg stopped as well, looking at her closely.

"Is everything alright?"

"Where are you going?" Calleigh asked.

"I don't know. I was following you."

"I think I was following you. We just did a circle around the lab."

"You know," Greg replied, "that might make us look foolish if anyone finds out."

"I think we should make sure no one does then."

"Agreed. I'm going to go...back to where I came from."

"And I'll head back to the DNA lab. I think that's where I was headed originally."

"Sounds good. See ya later, Calleigh."

"See ya, Greg."

The blonde shook her head and smiled as he walked off in the opposite direction. So far, the move to Vegas had proved to be a good one.

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"Hey there."

Warrick and Catherine both looked up to see Ryan walking into the lab, a large evidence bag in his hand.

"Hey, Wolfe," Warrick greeted. "What's up?"

"I bring you guys evidence with unknown trace on it."

"Our favorite thing," Catherine quipped. "What is it?"

"A shirt we got off a suspect. He says it's grease from working on his car. I highly doubt that."

"Aw, you don't trust him?"

"Only as far as I could throw him."

Warrick reached out and took the bag from Ryan. "Well, we'll get right on this then."

"Alright, thanks."

He turned to walk out, but Catherine's voice stopped him.

"Hey Ryan?"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Frowning in confusion, he walked back over to the table. "Sure."

Catherine looked at Warrick for a second, and then turned her attention back to Ryan.

"It seems…it looks as though Eric and Nick have a problem with each other."

"You've noticed that too?"

"Yeah. And we can't figure out what's causing it. Do you know if there's something bothering Eric, or if Nick did something to upset him?"

"Well…"

"Come on, Ryan. Everyone else in the lab is learning to get along. We can't have these two at each other's throats."

"It's Calleigh."

"Told you," Warrick muttered.

"Shut up," Catherine snapped. "What about Calleigh?"

"If he finds out that I told you, he'll kill me. And I'm not joking in the least."

"Ryan…"

"Fine, but you didn't hear it from me. Calleigh and Eric have been friends for years, and he…well, he…"

"He has a crush on her," Warrick finished.

"He's _in love_ with her," Wolfe corrected.

"And let me guess," Catherine said. "Nick has been flirting with her?"

"Pretty much. And someone told him that Stokes is a ladies' man. The love 'em and leave 'em type."

"That's not fair," Warrick objected. "Nick isn't like that. Well, he's a ladies' man. But the girls always know what they're getting into. And they almost always stay friends with him afterward."

"The person also told him that pretty blondes are Nick's type."

"They used to be. But you can tell Delko that he doesn't have anything to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"Just…tell him that Nick's interests lie elsewhere. He enjoys Calleigh's company, nothing more."

"And you know this for a fact?" Ryan asked.

"Yep. Talked to him about it yesterday."

"So who's he got a thing for?"

"I'm not sure I should be telling you that."

"Come on," Ryan argued. "I told you about Eric."

"He's got a point," Catherine added.

"You just want to know who it is."

"Yeah, I do. So spill it, Brown," she replied with an amused look on her face.

He sighed. "Sara."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Our Sara? Sara Sidle?"

"The one and only."

"Oh my."

Warrick chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay there, Cath?"

"I just…the poor thing, with Sara dating Grissom for so long and none of us knowing."

"Yeah. He was pretty torn up about it."

"Well, at least now I can tell Eric with complete certainty that Nick is going to steal away the beautiful Ms. Duquesne."

"Yes, please," Catherine said. "So that things can calm down here a little bit. I thought they were going to come to blows the other day."

"I'll tell him as soon as he gets in. The lazy bum's late."

Catherine laughed. "It takes awhile to get used to the night shift."

"I'm still going to rag on him for it."

"As you should," Warrick said in mock solemnity. "As you should."

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Grissom found Sara in the locker room, sitting on the bench and tying her shoe. He paused in the doorway for a minute, watching her. He was almost surprised at how little it hurt to watch her, knowing that she wasn't his anymore and soon he would be leaving. Maybe they had made the right choice.

"Hey," he said quietly.

She looked up and gave him a slow smile, the first one he had seen in weeks. "Hey."

"How are you?"

She took a minute to actually think the question over. "Okay." She nodded. "Okay."

"Good. What do you think of the new team?"

"They're good people. They're good scientists. Once we get the kinks worked out over territory and such, I think everything will be fine."

"I agree."

They stood in silence for a few more moments. Sara refocused on her shoes, but when they were both tied, Grissom still hadn't gone anywhere.

"Did you need something else?" she asked.

"Actually…I was wondering if Nick had come in yet."

"I haven't seen him."

Grissom frowned. "That's not like him to be so late."

Sara smiled again, although, this time Gil thought he saw a hint of sadness behind it this time.

"He probably had a hot date last night and hasn't recovered yet."

"One of your C.S.I.s is missing?"

Both turned to find Horatio Cane stepping into the room, dressed in his customary black.

"Nick," Gil confirmed. "But I'm sure he's on his way. He isn't in the habit of being late or shirking work."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Horatio said gently. "But I find it a tad worrisome that one of your team is missing…and so are two of mine."

"What do you mean?"

"Eric and Natalia are both missing. Neither is here, and neither is answering their home or cell phones."

"And three missing C.S.I.s is more than just a coincidence," Grissom concluded.

"Especially when two of them don't like each other enough to be hanging out," Sara added.

"Gris?"

Everyone looked up as a fourth person entered the room. Greg was holding a piece of paper out, his face ashen.

"What is it Greg?" Gil asked.

"I think you need to see this."

Grissom took the sheet of paper from Greg and scanned over it quickly. Sara watched as he read and reread whatever was written, his face turning paler by the second.

"Gil?" she asked.

"Get everyone together. _Now_."


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone was silent as they gathered in one of the labs. The look on Grissom's face told that something serious was going on, and they waited anxiously for him to tell them what it was. When he saw that he had everyone's attention, he sighed and leaned forward on the table.

"Nick, Eric and Natalia are missing. I believe they've been taken."

"What?" Ryan asked immediately, his face a mask of shock. "How do you know that?"

"Because we just received this."

Grissom set down a piece of paper on the projector, sending the image up onto the wall. He let everyone look at it for a moment before reading it out loud.

_"Tick tock goes the hand._

_What ever happened to Clint Goodman?_

_Surrounded by sand and dirt and rock,_

_It seems that poor Nicky will run down the clock._

_As the beams grow higher toward the sky,_

_He has no choice but to cry and cry._

_Yet no one will hear him – not now, not ever._

_Your dear friend in five hours will be lost forever."_

The room was silent. The C.S.I.s read the riddle over and over again in their heads, looking for clues, for something that would tell them were Nick was. But it just continued to mock them, the kidnapper obviously having fun with their little game.

"It only mentions Nick," Calleigh said slowly. "What about Eric and Natalia?"

"I don't think it's a coincidence that all three are missing," Grissom replied.

"But there are no clues for them," she said quietly.

"Maybe we have to find Nick to get more clues," Warrick suggested. "It seems like this guy is definitely enjoying his sick game. He wouldn't want us to be able to search for all of them at the same time. That would be less fun for him."

"So what do we do?" Sara interjected. "How do we find them?"

"We start with Nick," Horatio said slowly. "It's the only lead we have at the moment. I think we should split up and go to their apartments, gather whatever clues are there."

"I agree," Grissom said. "Sara, I want you and Warrick to take Nick's place. You two have been there enough that you'll recognize if something's out of place. Catherine, you and Ryan take Natalia's apartment, and Calleigh will go to Eric's with Greg. The note says we only have five hours. That means I want you back here in two."

They separated without another word. Everyone knew that their friends' lives hung in the balance, standing around in shock wasn't going to bring them any closer to finding them. Horatio looked over at Gil when they were the only two left in the room.

"I'll do a search for Clint Goodman. See if he's a former victim or perp."

Grissom nodded, a far-off look on his face. Horatio took a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips.

"We didn't mention the flip-side of what Warrick said, Gil."

"And what's that?"

"That if we don't find Nick, we have no chances of finding Natalia and Eric."

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"This is weird," Warrick commented as he and Sara moved through Nick's apartment.

"What is?"

"Being here without him." When she didn't respond, he looked over at her. "Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Come on, Sara. Don't lie to me."

She stopped and looked at him, a helpless expression on her face.

"What do you want me to say, Warrick? One of my best friends is missing. Some crazy psycho is holding him hostage, and if we don't find him in the next five hours, he's dead."

"We'll find him," Warrick said quietly.

"What if we don't?" she asked, her voice suddenly small.

"We will."

She nodded and refocused her attention on the task at hand, her eyes scanning the apartment. Silently, she willed something to jump out at her, to tell her who had taken her friend.

As she walked into the living room, something on top of one of the speakers caught her eye. Moving closer, she saw that it was a picture of her Nick. She smiled as she remembered when it had been taken – Brass had made them go to a Christmas party, and she and Nick had gotten pretty tipsy on the eggnog. They were both smiling broadly in the picture, the tips of their ears pink from the alcohol. It was one of her fonder memories.

"Hey Warrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this picture normally here? I don't think I've ever seen it before."

He came up to stand beside her, frowning when he saw the picture.

"No, it's not. It's usually in his room."

"Nick keeps a picture of us in his bedroom?"

"Yeah…I'm gonna let him field that question when we get him back," Warrick dodged.

He reached out a gloved hand to pick up the picture frame, looking it over carefully. Bringing it closer to his face, he noticed a small white spot in the corner that wasn't part of the picture. He flipped it over and pulled off the back, his eyes widening when a slip of paper fell to the floor. Before he could do anything, Sara reached down and picked it up, opening it slowly.

"Oh God," she whispered.

Warrick took the paper from her, his chest constricting as he read the words.

_Poor Nicky. Will he ever get to tell the lovely Ms. Sidle how he feels? Tick tock, friends. Tick tock._

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"It's okay, you know," Greg said as he and Calleigh searched through Eric's apartment.

"What is?"

"Being worried."

"I'm fine."

"Right. But…it would be okay. If you were scared or upset. Nobody would think less of you for it."

Calleigh looked up from Eric's bookshelf, raising an eyebrow.

"You're trying to get me to open up."

Greg shrugged.

"I just want you to know that you're not alone. That…if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

She gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Greg."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

Calleigh nodded, inwardly cursing the tears that stung the back of her eyes.

"He's my best friend," she whispered.

Greg moved closer and reached out a hand, squeezing her arm reassuringly.

"We'll find him, Calleigh. I know it."

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They had found next to nothing at the apartments of their missing colleagues. Everything had been dusted for prints, but the kidnapper had wiped everything down except the note at Nick's place – on the bottom right-hand corner of the paper, they had found one fingerprint. Warrick put it into the system immediately but they didn't get any hits. With only three hours left, they watched as their hope slowly died.

"Did you find anything in your search on Clint Goodman?" Grissom asked Horatio.

"No," he said, his voice tight with frustration. "He's not in any of our systems."

"So what now?" Ryan asked.

The question hung in the air, no one willing to voice the fact that they were basically at a dead end. If they admitted that, they would have to admit that their three friends were condemned to death, and none of them were willing to do that yet.

"I want each of you to take a copy of the riddle and put all of your energy into figuring it out. The answer is in the riddle," Grissom asserted.

"That's it?" Calleigh asked, her voice shaking a little.

"That's all we have," Horatio said sadly.

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Catherine ran through the riddle again in her head as she walked down the hall. She had memorized it quickly, the mocking words sticking in her brain and racing around in circles as they taunted her. Every now and then a voice would tell her the time, reminding her that Nick had only a few precious hours left before he was lost – and before they lost any leads they might need to find Natalia and Eric.

As she walked past the locker room, a sudden crashing sound caught her attention. Frowning, she pushed the door open gently, sticking her head in. Sara was standing in front of the row of lockers, her fists slamming into the metal. Tears were coursing down the younger woman's face as she hit the lockers again and again, the force of her blows cutting into her knuckles and making them bleed.

Catherine was in the room in an instant, moving behind Sara and taking a hold of her arms. The other C.S.I. resisted, pulling away as she struggled to continue her self-punishment. But Catherine tightened her hold, pulling Sara back, and holding her tightly as the sobs took over her body. Slowly, they sank to the floor, Catherine rocking her friend back and forth.

"I can't lose him, Cath," Sara sobbed, clinging to the older woman. "I can't."

"I know, sweetheart. But we are going to find him."

"We have nothing to go on, no leads, no evidence to follow. He only has two hours left. What else can we do?"

"Just keep trying. We have the riddle, Sara. We'll figure it out."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Catherine running her fingers through Sara's dark hair.

"Are you going tell him?"

"Tell who what?"

"Nick. Are you going to tell him how you feel about him?"

"How did you…?"

"I have eyes, Sara. If it had been anyone else missing, you wouldn't have broken down. You would have just focused on finding them. But the thought of losing him…that was just unbearable, wasn't it?"

Sara nodded, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I –"

"Don't apologize, Sara. Just promise me that you'll tell him."

"I promise," she whispered.

"Okay, then. Let's get back to work."

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"You okay?" Ryan asked as Sara walked into the room, noting her red and swollen eyes.

"I've been better," she admitted. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"Well that was convincing," she said, a faint smile on her face. "It's alright, Ryan. To admit that you're scared. That you're worried about Natalia."

"I'm worried about Eric, too."

"Yeah, but you're more worried about Natalia. Just like Calleigh is more worried about Eric."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Aside from the whole lab noticing when you guys joined us? Not at all." Her smile faded. "You're allowed to be scared, Ryan. You're allowed to worry."

"I do that, and I'm done," he said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because…because I care about her. Because if I stop and really think about what's going on, then I'm going to start thinking about what might happen if we don't find them – if we don't find her."

"I've been told several times today by people I trust that we're going to find them."

"Does that stop you from imagining the worst?"

"No," she whispered. She took a seat next to him, staring down at his copy of the riddle. "Tell me about her. Natalia, I mean."

"Sara…"

"Please."

Ryan took a deep breath, leaning on the table in front of him.

"She's…she's one of my best friends. She puts up with me, she puts me back in my place when I'm being a total idiot. As cheesy as it sounds, I…I think I'd be lost without her."

Sara nodded, understanding.

"You love her," she said quietly.

He looked at her sharply, an objection ready on his lips. But when his eyes met hers, he knew that it wasn't a question, that she was stating a fact.

"Yeah," he whispered. Clearing his throat, he blinked back the tears that suddenly sprang to his eyes. "What about Nick?"

"Same boat," she admitted. "But…this isn't the first time this has happened."

Ryan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"A couple years ago, a guy took Nick and then buried him alive out in the desert. He left him his gun so that he could…so that he could kill himself before running out of oxygen. I nearly lost my mind then, but to have to go through this again…What?" she asked, seeing the strange expression that came over Ryan's face. "What is it?"

"Oh God," he whispered. Looking over at Sara, his eyes widened in shock. "Come on," he urged her, turning and running out of the lab. She followed him as he ran down the hall, bursting into the larger lab where everyone else was gathered.

"Ryan?" Calleigh asked. "Is everything okay?"

"I know who Clint Goodman is," he blurted out.

"What? Who?" Catherine asked.

"The reason we couldn't find him in our databases is because he isn't real. He's a character from a movie."

"What movie?" Grissom interjected.

Ryan took a deep breath and glanced over at Sara.

"'Buried Alive'."


	4. Chapter 4

The room fell silent at Ryan's revelation. The image his words had conjured up was bad enough for the Miami C.S.I.s, but it was downright horrifying for the Vegas team. Every one of them flashed back to the last time Nick had been taken – the paralyzing fear, the constant worry, the voice deep inside them that told them they were too late.

Sara sat down hard, her chest constricting and making it difficult to breathe. She had nearly gone crazy the last time, and she wasn't sure she could really go through it again.

Catherine sat next to her, and Sara promptly rested her head on her shoulder.

"Why him?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Catherine answered honestly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "But we'll find him, Sara. We did it before and we'll do it again."

"This has happened before?" Horatio interjected.

It was Grissom who responded. He explained to their new team members what had happened to Nick the last time. Their faces took on horrified expressions, as the full gravity of the situation settled down on them. Not only was one of their own being put through hell, but it was the second time.

Sara's mind wandered as the discussion went on. She remembered how Nick had struggled after being rescued. He had had nightmares constantly, and he couldn't stand to be left alone. She had helped as much as she could, staying with him and coaxing him to talk about how he was feeling. It had been a long road, but he had stayed the course and overcome his fears.

And now he was going through it all again. Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she imagined what it must feel like – to come through that torment, to think that you were finally safe, and then to be thrust right back into the hell you thought was behind you.

She found herself panicking for him. Her breathing became labored as her lungs screamed at her that they weren't getting enough oxygen. The room spun as the words of the riddle came back to her, running through her head in tight circles, making her dizzy –

"Oh my God!"

Everyone stopped and looked at her, surprised by the outburst.

"What is it, Sara?" Grissom asked.

She stood up then and moved to the table, where a copy of the riddle rested. Pulling it towards her, she ran a finger over the lines until she found what she was looking for.

"Look," she pointed. "The last word, "forever," it's italicized – it's a point of emphasis. And the lines about beams growing toward the sky – it's like something is being built."

"So?" Calleigh asked, not catching on.

"The casino," Catherine murmured, the clues finally clicking. She raised her voice so the others could hear her. "They're building a new casino down by the old reservoir. And it's called 'Eternity'."

"But how could he be there if there's construction going on?" Ryan asked. "Wouldn't somebody notice him?"

Sara shook her head. "They halted construction three days ago because of the heat."

There was silence as they all took in the closest thing to a lead that they had.

"Then let's go," Horatio finally said. "Mr. Stokes doesn't have much time left."

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The basement was absolutely stifling as the C.S.I.s made their way down into it. It was as though there were walls of heat to match those of concrete, though the former seemed just as firm as the latter.

Guns drawn they moved off the stairs and into the cavernous room. Everything was shrouded in darkness, but the team had prepared for that, carrying high-powered flashlights with them.

As they fanned out to search the basement, a loud pop sounded somewhere above them. Suddenly, flood lights turned on all over the room, momentarily blinding them. Then a grinding noise reached their ears, and they all froze.

"Shit!" Warrick cursed, pointing ahead.

Standing across the room was an upright box. The grinding noise was made by the gears as they slowly lowered the box into a hole in the ground. Over that noise, a faint banging could be heard, mingled with shouting.

The spell broke and they all surged forward. Sara and Warrick reached it first, both of them running their hands over the wood as they desperately searched for a way to open the box.

"The stairs must have been wired," Ryan said quietly. "Our coming in here must have triggered the trap and started the box sinking."

"Nick?" Sara called. The shouting grew louder. "Nick, we're here. We're going to get you out of there! I promise!"

"The box is glued shut," Warrick told her. "There's nothing to pry open."

"Greg!" Horatio yelled, turning to face him. "Get the sledgehammer out of one of the SUVs. Hurry!"

As Greg bolted up the stairs, something in the bottom of the hole caught Warrick's attention. Squatting, he peered down.

"Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Look."

Reluctantly, she let her gaze move down into the hold. Her blood ran cold as she saw wet concrete pouring into it from tiny holes on the sides of the shaft.

"My God," she whispered. Then her head whipped up. "GREG! That sledgehammer!"

Greg jumped the last few steps and stumbled toward them, the sledgehammer held out in front of him. Warrick grabbed it and immediately began swinging at the top of the box. He knew that there was a chance tat he could hit Nick, but he had to focus on breaking through the wood. Steeling his resolve, he swung again.

Sara moved until she was standing in front of the box and out of Warrick's range of motion. The wood began to splinter and her pulse quickened, the worry nearly choking her.

She almost cried in relief when she saw the wood break from inside the box. Warrick saw it too and dropped the sledgehammer, using his hands to help Nick break out. Sara ran forward and joined him, the rest of the team left to stand idly about.

Finally, the weakened wood began to give way and Sara could finally see Nick's face. He was pale and sweating, a desperate terror in his eyes. When their gazes locked, he froze for a second before redoubling his efforts. Soon, his torso was clear, and Sara and Warrick could reach in and grab him. Pulling with all their strength, they managed to lift him out of the box. Sara took a few steps backwards, still pulling him. Her legs buckled under his weight when Warrick lost his hold and she went down, Nick landing on top of her.

Neither of them moved to get up. Instead, Nick's arms snaked around her body as he clung to her desperately, burying his face in her neck. Sara closed her eyes and hugged him back, one hand coming up to comb her fingers through his short hair.

"It's okay, Nicky," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she felt him shake in her arms. "I've got you. You're safe now, I promise."

Unable to watch his friends' painful reunion, Greg's eyes wandered back to the still sinking box. He found it hard to believe that someone could be that sick and twisted, but the evidence was staring him right in the face.

Something caught his eye just as he moved to look away. Stepping closer, he saw that an envelope was taped to the spot where Nick's head had been. Dread building in his stomach, he grabbed it and read the letter inside.

"Uh…guys?" Everyone but Sara and Nick turned to look at him. "We've got another riddle."


	5. Chapter 5

Nick sat heavily on the tailgate of the SUV as Sara filled him in. She told him that Eric and Natalia were missing as well, and that the kidnapper was leaving them taunting riddles with clues to their locations. His shoulders slumped as she went on, the weight in his heart growing. If his experience had been any indication, the other two were being slowly tortured with their greatest fear; and if they didn't find them soon, they would die a horribly slow and agonizing death.

"Nick?"

Shaking himself, Nick realized that he had zoned out on her. "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Looking around, he saw the others huddled over the riddle they had found in the box. "We should go over and help them."

Sara frowned. "You need to go to the hospital."

"I'm fine."

"You need to get checked out," she insisted. "And then you need to go home."

"No!" Seeing her startled expression, he tried to gentle his tone. "I can't go back there Sara. Not now…maybe not ever."

She reached out and took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers. "I'm so sorry, Nick."

Looking up, he saw tears in her eyes. He pulled her closer, reaching out one hand to wipe them from her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head, dropping her gaze to the ground. "C'mon, Sar," he coaxed. "Talk to me."

"I almost lost you," she whispered, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Again."

Hearing the pain in her voice, Nick pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She clung to him, her fingers tangling in his shirt as she tried to reassure herself that he really was there, that he really was alright. They stood like that for what felt like forever, before pulling back, the weight of the situation bearing down on them, reminding them that other lives were at stake.

"You really should rest," Sara said quietly.

"I can't, Sar…I can't just sit around while that psycho has Natalia and Eric. I want to help. I _need_ to help."

She gave him a sad smile. "There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

Sara pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Alright, on one condition."

Nick couldn't help but smile a little. "And that is?"

"That when this is over you come stay with me. That you let me help you."

Staring at her, touched by her care and generosity, Nick reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Deal," he whispered.

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"What have we got?" Nick asked as he and Sara joined the others.

Grissom looked up, narrowing his eyes at Nick. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Well, I guess I could go home and have a mental breakdown. But this seems much more productive."

Gil watched him for a moment longer, seemingly sizing him up. Finally, he nodded, and he pointed down at the paper they had been staring at, flashlights making the words visible in the darkness.

_Her greatest fear slowly consumes her as she joins the dead. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust._

"So what's Natalia's greatest fear?" Catherine asked.

They all stood in silence for a few minutes, mulling the question over. The Vegas team didn't even know where to begin – none of them had known Natalia enough to get a handle on her fears. But they searched their memories anyway, looking for the smallest hint that could point them in the right direction.

"She was pretty scared of her ex-husband," Calleigh finally said quietly. "But he's dead."

Ryan shook his head. "Fire." Everyone looked at him sharply. "Fire," he repeated. "That's the thing she's most afraid of."

"How do you know?" Warrick asked.

"When she was five…her mom had to go to work, but she didn't have anyone to watch Natalia. So she left her at her aunt's house. But her aunt was drunk, and she left one of her cigarettes burning. When the flame reached her liquor cabinet, the whole house went up."

"Oh my God," Calleigh murmured. "What happened?"

Ryan shrugged, looking down at the ground. "She tried to wake her aunt, but she was passed out from all the vodka. So Natalia ran. She got out of the house, ran to a neighbor's and called 911. But it was too late. Her aunt was dead."

"Fire consumes," Nick said quietly.

Horatio nodded. "Alright, so fire it is. Where does that bring us?"

"Fire could be anything," Catherine pointed out. "Or anywhere, for that matter."

They fell silent again, desperately searching their minds for the answer. But Catherine was right – fire was vague, and it gave them no real clues by itself. As the others struggled to put the pieces together, Nick's thoughts flashed back to the box he had just been rescued from. The death that had been planned for him was slow and tortuous, using his fears against him to extract the most pain possible – both physical and mental. As he saw himself screaming in the box as it sank lower, his mind replaced the box with fire, and suddenly it came to him.

"A crematory," he said aloud. All eyes swiveled to him, everyone frowning in confusion. "They burn bodies. They put them on these metal slabs that roll slowly into the fire. I don't know about you, but I'd be hard pressed to think of a more agonizing death than that."

"And she'd be surrounded by dead bodies," Ryan said, finishing Nick's thought. "She'd be completely consumed. _Ashes to ashes_."

Grissom thought for a moment. "There are four crematories in Las Vegas."

"We'll have to split up," Horatio said. "That way we can cover all of them."

Gil nodded. "Nick, you and Sara go to Neptune. Warrick, Catherine, head over to the Las Vegas Funeral Home. Horatio, Calleigh and Ryan can check out Bunkers Mortuary, and Greg and I will take Morton's. Okay?"

They all nodded and broke apart without another word. Climbing into their SUV's, they drove out into the night, praying that they would be saving another friend, and not collecting a body.

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Calleigh looked over at Ryan as Horatio sped through the streets of Las Vegas, heading for the Boulevard. Seeing the worry and pain in his eyes, she reached out and squeezed his hand, giving him a small smile.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

"We have to find her, Calleigh."

"We will."

"What if we don't? What if I got it wrong? What if something else is her greatest fear?"

"Ryan, look at me." She waited until his eyes met hers. "You know Natalia better than any of us. And I know what she means to you. We will find her. And when we do, you're going to tell her how you feel."

He gave her a sad smile. "And are you going to tell Eric how _you_ feel when we find him? Or are you going to let your fears get the better of you yet again?"

She tensed. "That's a low blow, Ryan."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Calleigh. I didn't mean to…"

"Forget it," she said quietly. "You're right. I have been scared. I don't want to lose him."

"You can't keep running, Calleigh. Sooner or later…well…it'll be too late."

"What if it already is?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He squeezed her hand. "It's not, remember? We're going to find them. And then we're going to stop being idiots."

She smiled, a lone tear making it's way down her face. "Is this the part where you tell me everything's going to be okay?"

Ryan gave her an amused look. "Hey, I thought you were comforting me."

"Oh right, I forgot."

They were interrupted by the car suddenly stopping. Looking up, they saw Horatio turning to face them.

"We're here."

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Sara sighed in frustration as she and Nick cleared the last room at Neptune. The only bodies there were already dead, and, thankfully, none of them were Natalia. Kicking the wall, she pulled out her phone.

"Gil, it's Sara."

"Did you find anything?"

"No, there's nothing here." She frowned and pulled her ear away from the phone as she heard a crash from another room. "Nick?" she called. "Are you okay?"

He strode into the room, a piece of paper in his hand. Without a word, he shoved it at her.

"Sara? Sara, are you there?"

She brought the phone back to her ear. "Yeah, I'm here Gil."

"Greg just found a note left by our kidnapper. It says _Burn baby, burn_. We're on the right track."

"Nick just found a note, too."

"What does yours say?"

"_Ashes, ashes. We all fall down._"

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It took every ounce of self-restraint Ryan had to keep him from running through Bunkers Mortuary. Something inside him told him that if they didn't find Natalia here, they wouldn't find her in time. But he forced himself to move slowly, to make sure that he didn't miss anything as they swept through the mortuary.

They heard the cries as soon as they reached the top of the stairs that led down to the crematory. Unable to control himself any longer, Ryan rushed down the stairs, his mind focused only on getting to Natalia before it was too late.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stumbled at the sight before him. The fires of the crematory were roaring, the heat engulfing him, threatening to choke the life out of him. His entire body froze as his eyes fell on the conveyor belt, slowly moving toward the flames. Natalia was lying on the unforgiving metal, her wrists, torso and ankles bound to it by leather straps. She was fighting against them – fighting with all the strength she could find and screaming at the top of her lungs for someone to help her. But the belt continued moving forward, her feet inching toward the flames.


	6. Chapter 6

Ryan was torn between fear and relief when he saw Natalia lying on that slab, moving steadily towards the fire. The fact that she was still alive almost brought him to his knees, but his brain quickly reminded him that she wasn't safe yet.

The spell that held each of the C.S.I.s frozen seemed to break at the same time, and Ryan and Horatio lunged for Natalia as one. Both had their pocket knives out, and they began to cut through the leather straps around her ankles desperately. When Natalia saw that they were there, her screams subsided, but the tears continued to stream down her face as her body struggled against the bonds.

"Ryan," she said, her voice breaking. "Please, don't let me die here."

"You're not dying," he gritted out, his eyes focused on cutting the straps. "I promise you that, Natalia. I'm getting you out of here."

Somewhere behind him, Ryan could hear Calleigh on the phone, telling Grissom that they had found Natalia. Finally, the strap he was working came lose, and he moved to the ones around her wrists. She picked her feet up and slid them closer to her body, away from the fire. But the slab continued to move toward the flames inexorably, and she was sweating from the proximity.

"Please, Ryan," she begged, her eyes boring into him.

He didn't even feel his own tears coursing down his face; he just focused on the strap he was cutting, vaguely aware that Horatio had cut through the one binding her torso and had moved to the opposite hand. They worked without speaking; the only sounds were Natalia's cries and the roaring of the fire.

Finally, the last straps broke and she was free. Natalia scrambled off the metal slab and landed in Ryan's arms, burying her face in his neck. He held her tightly, whispering words he couldn't understand in her ears as he tried to calm both of them. It was then that he realized that his entire body was shaking.

"You found me," she whispered.

"Of course I found you," Ryan breathed. "I'll always find you, Natalia."

While the two friends clung to each other, Horatio removed the piece of paper that had been taped to the metal beneath Natalia. Looking it over, he turned to Calleigh.

"Tell Grissom to get everyone back to the lab. We have our next clue."

She swallowed hard. "Eric?"

Horatio looked at her with sad eyes. "We're going to find him, Calleigh. I promise you that."

She nodded, looking over at Ryan and Natalia. They were no longer embracing, but their fingers were entwined as they stood next to each other. Walking over to them, she hugged Natalia.

"You okay?" Calleigh asked quietly.

The other woman nodded. "I will be."

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"It's not in English," Greg pointed out as they all looked down at the note.

"It's called Spanish, Greg," Warrick pointed out.

"I knew that," he muttered. "So what does it say?"

"What do you do when your greatest strength becomes your most dangerous weakness?" Calleigh translated.

"This guy really has a flair for the dramatic," Nick muttered, glaring at the note.

"We'll be sure to tell him that as soon as we catch the bastard," Warrick quipped. He looked at Calleigh. "So what's Eric's greatest strength?"

She frowned. "That depends. Do you mean personally or professionally?"

"Both."

"Well, personally, it's loyalty. Eric never turns on his friends, and he'd do anything for them."

"But all of his closest friends seem to be accounted for," Horatio added. "So perhaps his professional strength is our best bet."

"And what's that?" Warrick asked.

Calleigh answered again. "Water. Eric's a great diver. He knows the waterways of Miami like the back of his hand."

"Not a lot of water in Las Vegas," Greg observed.

"Then let's concentrate on those places where there _is_ water," Grissom suggested.

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As the group stood around discussing their options, Catherine laid a gentle hand on Grissom's arm. When he looked at her questioningly, she motioned for him to step out into the hall with her.

"Where have you been?" he asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I just got a call from Lindsey."

"Is everything alright?"

Catherine sighed. "I'm not sure. She sounded upset. She said something happened at school, and that she really needed me."

"We need you here, Catherine. We still have to find Eric."

"I know. But this is my daughter, Gil. I can't just ignore her. She sounded like she'd been crying."

"Your mother can't go to her?"

Catherine shook her head. "She's vacationing in the Bahamas for the next two weeks. I'm all Lindsey's got. I'm sorry, Gil. But I have to go."

He sighed, and then nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, Catherine. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk."

She gave him a small smile. "It's okay. We're all under a lot of stress. Will you call me if you guys find Eric?"

"Yes. If Lindsey's okay, though, we need you back here as soon as possible."

Catherine nodded. "Of course." Pausing, she looked back at the room where the others were puzzling over the note's meaning. "Good luck."

"You too."

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Ryan poked his head into the locker room, looking around to see if it was empty. When he didn't see anyone, he pulled his head back out, intent on moving down the hallways as he continued his search. Just as the door began to close, though, he heard a soft whimper coming from somewhere inside. Opening the door again, he walked in.

As he rounded one of the rows of lockers, he found Natalia sitting on the bench, her head in her hands. He had begged her to go to the hospital after they found her, but she had been stubborn like Nick, insisting that she stay and help.

Sighing in relief that he had found her again, Ryan couldn't turn and walk away. So he moved towards her quietly, before taking a seat on the bench next to her. Reaching out, he slowly took her hand in his, watching for any signs that she wanted him to leave. Instead, Natalia rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How did you find me?"

"Right now or before?"

"Before," she clarified.

"I remembered you telling me the story about your aunt. When the note talked about your greatest fear, I knew it had to be fire."

She chuckled quietly and Ryan looked at her in confusion. "I guess you never know which stories might save your life someday," she explained.

Hearing the catch in her voice, he looked over, his own breath hitching at the tears building in her eyes. He stood up, helping her to her feet as well, and then pulled her against him. He held her tightly, closing his eyes and breathing her in, trying once again to convince himself that she was safe. Natalia held him just as closely, his warmth calming and his strength steadying.

After a few minutes, they slowly pulled away, knowing that their friend needed their help if he was going to survive. But as they stood there staring at each other, Natalia leaned in slowly, brushing her lips against his. Ryan raised one hand to the back of her neck as he pulled her close again, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. It was slow and deliberate, both of them soaking in the feel of the other, taking whatever strength and comfort they could for the time being. Eventually, though, they had to pull away again, and this time they knew that they had to get back to work.

"Thank you," she murmured as they headed towards the door.

"For what?"

"For finding me. For saving me."

Blinking back tears, Ryan leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I will always find you, Natalia. Always."

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"Alright," Grissom was saying when Natalia and Ryan walked in. "Let's narrow down the water that Vegas has. We've got lakes and rivers."

"That doesn't sound right, though," Nick objected. "I mean, Eric doesn't know Las Vegas water well. He knows Miami."

"Well, the guy didn't fly him down to Miami," Sara pointed out.

"We hope," Greg muttered.

"What are you saying, Nick?" Grissom asked.

The younger man sighed. "I don't know. This guy…he's doing everything he can to torture his victims. He reenacted the scariest time of my life. He drew on Natalia's worst memory, threatening her with a death she escaped years ago. I just think that he'd be that meticulous with Eric, taking something he loves and totally warping it."

"The aquarium," Warrick blurted. Everyone looked at him. "They've got displays of tropical fish," he explained. "The only place around here where you're going to find water like what you'd see in Miami is in the aquarium."

"He's right," Sara agreed.

"Then let's go," Horatio said.

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"So where exactly do they keep the pretty fish?" Natalia asked as they walked into the building.

"This way," Greg said, taking the lead.

As the manager they had woken and brought with them turned on all the overhead lights, Nick looked at his colleague with a small smirk on his face.

"Been to the aquarium a few times, Greg?" he asked.

Greg shrugged. "I like it here. It's relaxing."

He led the rest of the C.S.I.s through the aquarium, their footsteps loud in the silence. The tanks all around them were still in darkness, and the fish swimming in them were nothing more than shadows passing them by.

Calleigh gasped as they rounded a corner and saw an open fish tank up ahead. Unlike the others, this tank was lit up by the lights underneath it. The water was only two or three feet deep, and the fish inside of it ranged across every color of the rainbow.

But it wasn't the fish or the lighting that made the C.S.I.s stop in their tracks. Lying in the middle of the fish tank was a long box made of clear plastic, and inside that box was Eric Delko. Calleigh rushed forward immediately, but Nick and Warrick's long legs pulled them ahead of her quickly. Without any hesitation, they both jumped into the tank, each picking up an end of the box and lifting it out of the water. Struggling under the weight, they stepped back out of the tank, setting the box on the ground.

Horatio knelt by the box, his hand resting on the lid. Eric's eyes fluttered open, surprise showing in them when he saw that he was no longer alone. His breathing was shallow, and sweat streamed down his face. Letting his gaze wander down the length of the box, Horatio saw a small oxygen tank. The meter resting beside it showed that there was very little air left inside.

"Those locks," Ryan said. "How do we undo them?"

"Stand back."

They all looked up to see Calleigh standing there, her gun out and aimed at the locks. Horatio stood up and backed away, giving her the room that she needed. Taking careful aim and steadying her hand, Calleigh shot off the two locks. The others stepped forward again immediately, lifting up the lid and tossing it to the side. As he was lifted out of the box by Horatio and Nick, Eric's eyes locked with hers.

"Calleigh," he gasped.

The desperation and relief in his voice brought tears to her eyes. Unable to stand the torrent of emotion that swept over her, Calleigh turned and stepped away.

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"Gris."

Grissom and Horatio both looked up at the sound of Warrick's voice. The tall C.S.I. stood there nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"What's up, Warrick?" Grissom asked.

"Something's not right about this."

"What do you mean?"

Warrick looked around, as though trying to gather his thoughts. "It's just…look at who this guy took…Nick, Natalia, Eric…they don't really have much in common."

"You mean why them and not any of the others?" Horatio asked.

Warrick nodded. "Why didn't he take Nick _and _Sara? She would have been just as easy to torture, with what she's just been through. Or Natalia _and_ Ryan?" He sighed. "I don't know if I'm making much sense."

"No, Warrick…you are," Gil told him. "Each of them…each of them is half of a couple. Or at least half of a potential couple. Nick and Sara have been flirting for years – there's always been something beneath that." His voice tensed as he realized the truth to his own words.

"Eric and Calleigh have been dancing around each other for years," Horatio added. "And Ryan and Natalia have become much closer in the past few months."

Warrick nodded again. "Exactly."

"I'm not sure I'm seeing your point, though," Horatio admitted.

The younger man took a deep breath. "It's just…if that's this guy's pattern, then…he missed one."

Even as Horatio frowned, Grissom's eyes widened. "You and Catherine."

"Maybe I'm wrong…maybe he had some specific goal with those three, and it had nothing to do with couples…"

But Grissom already had his phone out. Now that the pattern had been pointed out to him, he could see it clear as day, and the knot growing in the pit of his stomach told him that this guy wasn't finished with them yet. As the phone continued to ring, his eyes locked with Warrick's.

"She's not answering."


	7. Chapter 7

"Dammit," Grissom cursed as he flipped his phone shut. "Her mother hasn't heard from her either."

"So what's our next move?" Warrick asked, his voice tight and his eyes full of worry.

Gil looked at him intently. "We find her." Walking over to the others, he raised his voice. "Alright, everybody, this isn't over yet."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked.

He took a deep breath. "We can't find Catherine." As fear settled over them, he continued. "She got a call from Lindsey earlier and went to see her. But she's not answering her cell phone, and her mother has no idea where she is."

"It's a pattern," Nick said quietly. "One half of each…" His eyes glanced over to Sara momentarily before finishing. "…pair."

Grissom nodded. "Exactly. So until we know differently, we're assuming that Catherine has been taken as well." He turned to Warrick. "Warrick, I want you to take Ryan and Natalia and go to Catherine's house. Look for any evidence that you can find. The rest of us are going back to the lab to look over whatever else we have. It's time we found out who this person is and put an end to their games."

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The three C.S.I.s got to Catherine's house in record time, Warrick behind the wheel. He drove with a frightening determination, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. Ryan watched him out of the corner of his eye, knowing exactly what his colleague was going through. It had only been a few short hours ago that he had been staring at a clue that held the key to where Natalia was being held. As they turned into Catherine's driveway, he said the only thing he could think of.

"We found the others, man…we'll find her, too."

Warrick looked over at him for a moment, and Ryan could see how close he was to losing it. But the bigger man just nodded before opening the door and jumping out of the SUV.

It was immediately obvious that something was very wrong. As they stood on Catherine's front step, they could see that her door was ajar, and debris littered the area just inside the house. Moving closer, they saw that the debris consisted of a broken chair that Warrick knew matched the other three from her dining room table, glass from a shattered lamp, and a picture frame lying upside down on the floor.

"She put up one hell of a fight," Natalia murmured.

Glancing over at Warrick, Ryan nodded. "Then let's see what clues she left us."

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They worked thoroughly, but quickly. Natalia went immediately to the broken glass of the lamp, photographing it and then searching it for any blood or fibers. Ryan picked the picture frame up off the floor, while Warrick went to the chair and its pieces. They worked silently, all three focused on finding whatever they could from the few clues that they had.

"I've got a partial print!" Ryan called after awhile.

Warrick looked up sharply. "On what?"

"The edge of the picture frame. Could be our perp."

"Could be Cath, too," Warrick pointed out.

"Let's try a little optimism, Warrick." He nodded at the chair. "Did you find anything?"

The other man shrugged. "A few hairs, but I'm almost certain that they're Cath's. I'll take 'em back to the lab anyway, see if we get any hits."

"Well I've got a big nothing," Natalia sighed. "This lamp was shattered, and then the glass stepped on repeatedly. The pieces are so small…I'm not sure I'll be able to get any prints off of it. But I'll try."

Ryan looked around. "Is that it? Do we head back to the lab with what we have?"

Warrick stood up, his shoulders sagging as he looked around the house one last time. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, his eyes landed on the answering machine, and he stopped. Frowning, the two C.S.I.s from Miami followed his gaze.

"She has a message," Natalia said.

Warrick nodded, reaching out and pressing the 'play' button.

_"Hey Mom…I just wanted to let you know that I'd be staying at Deanna's tonight. If that's not okay, just call the cell. I…I love you, Mom."_

Taking a deep breath, Warrick looked at the other two. "At least we know Lindsey is safe. The time stamp on that is after the we found Eric."

The three C.S.I.s moved out of the house, heading back to the SVU. As they went down the front walk, something caught Warrick's eye. Turning aside, he squatted by the pavement.

"You got something?" Ryan asked.

"A footprint."

A small smile on his face, the younger man nodded. "Then let's get it and get back to the lab."

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Warrick looked up expectantly when Sara walked into the lab. "Did you get anything off the print?"

She shook his head. "I'm sorry, Warrick. It's not in the system."

He sighed. "Well, at least we know it isn't Catherine's. Makes it more likely that it's the kidnapper's."

"What about you?" she asked, nodding at the footprint mold. "Get anywhere with that?"

Warrick shrugged. "Not much. The shoe is nondescript – a Nike sneaker that you could buy anywhere. From its depth, I can tell you that the person isn't very big…it's only a size five in men's. There's nothing else, really. The way the treads are worn, I might be able to match the shoe to the print once we have it, but until then…"

His thoughts were interrupted as Nick walked into the room.

"Sara, did you get anything on that print?"

"No. I was just telling Warrick."

"I have a print I need you to check it against."

"Okay. Whose is it?"

Nick took a deep breath. "Lindsey's."

Warrick frowned. "But the message…"

His friend nodded. "I know. But Wolfe's been working with it. There's background noise, and it sounds like someone is prodding her, giving her a script. I think the message is a trick to make us think Lindsey's safe."

"You got a print for me to run it against?" Sara asked, seeing the fear building in Warrick's eyes.

Nick nodded. "Catherine had one of those rescue kits for Lindsey when she was younger. I had an officer go get it. It's got her fingerprints, her DNA, her dental records…whatever would be needed to identify her."

"Then let's go run it."

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"Well?" Warrick asked, his anxiety getting the better of him.

Sara read over the results again, her stomach twisting knots. "It's her, Warrick," she said quietly. "It's Lindsey."

He shook his head. "That doesn't necessarily mean…Those prints could have been from a long time ago."

"The way the print was positioned…" Sara picked up the frame, holding it face down and then lifting it over her head. "She held it like this, probably smashing it down on her attacker's head. I'm sorry, Warrick…the message was staged."

Unable to think of anymore arguments, Warrick slammed his fist down onto the table, his eyes focused on the floor as he tried to keep control of his emotions. He didn't look up again until Horatio and Calleigh came into the room, followed quickly by the rest of the team. Looking at each of their faces, he knew that something had happened.

"We got the note," Horatio said.

He passed it to Warrick, and Sara moved until she could read it over his shoulder.

_A parent's worst nightmare._

Sara frowned. "That's it?"

Horatio nodded. "That's it. I think it's pretty clear what they mean, though." When she just kept looking at him, he continued. "A parent's worst nightmare is watching their child get hurt, and being powerless to do anything about it."

She shook her head. "But…there's nothing else. No hint at their location, or a clue, or…"

Warrick closed his eyes, his hands shaking slightly. "He doesn't want us to find them," he said quietly. "He wants them to die."


	8. Chapter 8

"You wanted to see us?" Nick asked as he and Natalia walked into Grissom's office.

Gil nodded. "I think it's time we went over what happened to you. Maybe one of you remembers something that could help us find Catherine and her daughter."

"What about Eric?" Natalia asked.

"Horatio is at the hospital now. We thought it best if he talked to him."

The two C.S.I.s nodded as they sat down in the chairs facing Gil's desk. They sat there for a moment, none of them knowing exactly where to start. Finally, Grissom cleared his throat.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

"I was in bed," Natalia started, her voice sounding far away. "I must have been asleep, because I remember my eyes snapping open when something was put over my mouth. I tried to move, but there was something on top of me…I couldn't do anything. The…the next thing I knew was waking up on that table, and realizing that I was moving closer to the flames."

"When you opened your eyes…did you see anything?"

Natalia frowned, trying to force her mind back to that moment, but finally she had to shake her head. "No. There weren't any lights. I couldn't see anything."

"What about when you woke up at the crematory? Was there anyone still there?"

This time she shook her head right away. "No. As far as I could see, I was definitely alone."

Grissom nodded, inwardly frustrated at the lack of information that she had been able to give them. Swallowing his disappointment, he took what he could from it.

"So we know that chloroform was probably used," he reasoned. "And there's a good chance that there's more than one person involved in this. It's hard to subdue someone by yourself." He looked over at Nick. "Especially someone your size."

Nick shook his head, his frustration evident. "I don't think I woke up."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Nick," Gil said, his voice calm. "They could have filled the room with a gas to knock you out, or you may simply sleep heavier than Natalia. We can ask the bastard when we catch up with him."

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you out more," Natalia said quietly.

"Don't," Grissom said firmly. "What about Warrick? How is he holding up?"

Nick shrugged. "He's not letting much show. But he's worried. He…he really cares about Cath."

"He loves her. We don't need to mince words here, Nick. We all know how those two feel about each other."

"If we don't find them soon, Gris…he might snap."

Gil nodded. "Then let's find them."

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Warrick kept his eyes firmly on the floor as he walked down one of the lab's corridors, his mind a whirlwind of thought and emotion. The realization that the lunatic they were chasing wanted Cath and her daughter dead struck him like a bullet to the chest, and at first he had had trouble breathing.

Now desperation and anger raged within him, both vying for his attention. He knew though, deep down, that if he gave in to either, he would lessen his chances of finding Catherine and Lindsey before it was too late. So he took a deep breath and stepped out of the lab, letting himself calm down before he went back to the little evidence that they had.

He was so fixated on his thoughts, that he didn't even see the other person as he rounded the corner. They collided into one another, and a file folder flew out of their hands, sending papers all over the corridor.

Warrick bent down immediately, reaching out to gather the papers. "I'm sorry, I –" He broke off and looked up then, seeing who he had bumped into. "Hey, Ronnie."

She gave him a tight smile. "Hey."

The papers gathered, they both stood up. Warrick frowned, confusion clear in his eyes.

"I thought you had transferred to New York."

Annoyance flashed across her face, but it was quickly gone. "Not yet. I still have a few things to sort out here before I move."

"What made you want to move out east?"

Ronnie stared at him for a moment. "You're kidding, right?"

"What?"

"I didn't want to transfer. I was told that new C.S.I.s were coming in and that they would find me a job in another lab - something about Horatio Caine refusing to come without his team."

Warrick looked uncomfortable, obviously caught off-guard by her rant. "I'm sorry…I just…I didn't know."

"Right," she said, a hint of bitterness lacing her words. "You didn't even notice I was still here." When he opened his mouth, she put up a hand to stop him. "No…I get it. I know you're going through a lot right now, Warrick, what with Catherine being taken from right under your nose."

He looked down, her words striking a chord. "We'll find her."

Ronnie gave him a sad smile. "Of course you will. Look…I should…I have some stuff to do, and you…you'd better get back to finding your girl."

Before he could respond, she walked away, leaving him alone in the corridor once again.

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Greg sighed as he once again took up the picture frame that they had found on the floor at Catherine's place. He was beyond exhausted, his eyes sliding shut now and then as his body craved the rest that he was steadfastly denying it. But every time his eyes closed, he was faced with images of Nick in that box, and he would jolt awake, reminded that Catherine and her daughter were probably in an even worse situation.

He went over the frame millimeter by millimeter, determined not to miss anything. He reasoned that there was no way this kidnapper could leave absolutely no trace of himself, and the key to his identity had to be in one of the things that they had found in Cath's home.

After finding nothing on the front of the frame, Greg turned it over, taking out the back and the picture that it housed. His eyes slowly slid shut again as his body reminded him that it could not be ignored forever. But then they snapped open as he caught sight of something stuck in the inside corner of the frame.

"What the hell?"

He picked up a pair of tiny tweezers and reached in with a shaky hand, removing the object. When he held it up under the light, he saw that it was a hair – one that was far too dark to belong to either Catherine or Lindsey.

Smiling, he put the hair in an envelope and practically ran out into the hall. The sooner they got the hair tested, the sooner they would know who had taken their friend.

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When Hodges walked in, he was surprised at what he saw. Greg was sitting at one of the long tables, practically bouncing up and down on the stool. Frowning, he walked closer.

"Are you okay, Greg?"

The younger man jumped at the intrusion. "What? Oh, yeah…I found a hair!"

Hodges' eyes widened. "On something we got from Catherine's house?"

Greg nodded. "I'm running it through the machine now. If we get a hit, that means we know at least one of the attackers, and that'll be the first real lead we have on this guy."

Greg's phone rang then, once again causing the C.S.I. to jump. Cursing under his breath, he answered.

"Hello? Yeah…what? Right now? But…fine. I'll be right there."

He sighed, looking over at Hodges. "Apparently Horatio and Grissom need to see me right now. Can you…?"

The other man nodded. "Absolutely. I'll stay here until the results come in."

"Thanks, man."

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"Hey Hodges."

He looked up to see Ronnie walking into the room. Giving her a tight smile, his gaze went back to the computer screen in front of him. "Hey Ronnie."

"What's up? You seem really…focused."

"We found a hair."

She stopped suddenly. "What?"

"We found a hair," he repeated. "At Catherine's house, in the picture frame. We think Lindsey hit her attacker over the head with it and the hair got caught."

"And…you're sure that it's not Cath or Lindsey's?"

Hodges shook his head. "Too dark. They're both blondes, and this hair was almost black as night."

Ronnie watched him for a long minute, apparently lost in thought. Then she began to move closer.

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"You wanted to see me?" Greg asked as he burst into Grissom's office.

Both Gil and Horatio looked up in surprise at the intrusion.

"No…" Grissom said slowly. "Why would you think that?"

Greg frowned in confusion. "Because Ronnie called me and said…" He trailed off as a sudden thought occurred to him.

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The computer beeped and Hodges' eyes snapped to the screen, anxious to find out what the results had to tell him. As he read the name that came up, his eyes widened in disbelief and shock overran him in waves.

"What did you find?" Ronnie asked.

Hodges looked up to see her standing right beside him. Her gaze locked on the name and picture on the screen and then she sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry, Hodges," she said quietly.

Fear flooded his eyes just as Ronnie pulled a hunting knife out of her waistband. Without any hesitation, she thrust it into him, sliding it up and in between his ribs. Hodges opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as blood began to pour from the wound. His body suddenly refused to hold him up anymore, and he slid from the stool, crashing onto the cold floor.

Not sparing him a second glance, Ronnie pulled out a pair of gloves and moved to the computer, quickly deleting the results. She grabbed an evidence bag and took the hair as well, tucking it deep into her pocket. Satisfied that she had covered her tracks, she turned and walked out of the lab.

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Hodges was painfully aware of the silence that had settled over the room. No one was walking down the corridor, moving toward him with the prospect of rescue. He could feel the blood seeping out of him, soaking through his shirt and spreading across the floor.

Taking in a wet and painful breath, he moved his hand down to his waistband, fumbling for the phone there. When he had finally detached it, he flipped it open, his shaking fingers pressing the keypad for the last time.

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Greg, Horatio and Grissom raced down the corridors, fear driving them on. But when they finally reached the lab where Greg had left Hodges, it was obvious that they were too late. Grissom walked over to their fallen colleague, but shook his head as he searched for a pulse and came up empty. Greg moved to the computer instead.

"Dammit!"

"What is it?" Gil asked.

Greg clenched his jaw in frustration. "The results…they're gone. And so is the hair."

"Don't lose hope yet, Greg," Horatio said carefully. He stepped over to Hodges, putting on a pair of gloves before plucking the cell phone out of his hand. After reading the message, he turned it around so the other two could see. "He died typing this out, telling us who his killer was."

"Ronnie," Gil whispered.

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	9. Chapter 9

The team regrouped in Gil's office. It was a tight fit, but no one really cared as the news about Hodges' death rippled through the lab. Tensions high, they waited anxiously for their marching orders. Grissom wasted no time.

"By now, I know you've all heard about Hodges. He found out that Ronnie was our kidnapper, and she killed him. I know he was our friend, but right now we need to focus on finding whatever we can about Ronnie. She's still got Catherine and Lindsey, and the more time that goes by, the smaller our chances of finding them become. So, for right now, we all have to put aside our grief and anger and get to work." When no one objected, he continued. "Nick, Sara and Warrick, I want you at Ronnie's house. Go over it with a fine-toothed comb. She's been good at covering her tracks so far, but there is always a mistake somewhere. Greg, I want you and Ryan to dig into Ronnie's life. Anything you can find that might be a lead, let us know. Calleigh and Natalia, go down to the morgue and see if Robbins finds any evidence on Hodges' body."

"What about you?" Nick asked.

Grissom took a deep breath, before locking eyes with his C.S.I. "Horatio and I are going to get an arrest warrant for Ronnie."

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When he first walked into the apartment, Warrick found that he couldn't go any further. He stood in the doorway, looking into the living room, his brain flooded with the knowledge that he was standing in the home of the person that had tried to kill his friends – the person who had taken Catherine.

It looked normal – maybe that was what bothered him the most. If she was really the sadistic kidnapper that the evidence said she was, then he thought there should be something different about the space where she spent the majority of her time. Looking around, though, Warrick could pick out nothing that indicated something with a sick and twisted mind resided there. The apartment was clean, although not in an OCD sense. Magazines rested on the coffee table – Vogue, Cosmo, People – and there were a couple dishes in the sink. He made a mental note that they would have to check those for fingerprints and DNA.

Warrick took a deep breath, telling himself that he needed to join Nick and Sara in their efforts, but was caught off-guard by the rage that was slowly building through him. He tried to push it down, but it just kept coming, consuming him as he imagined Cath and Lindsey being held hostage. He didn't know what sick games Ronnie had in store for them, but he assumed that it was worse than what he could imagine.

"Warrick?"

He shook his head at the sound of Nick's voice, realizing that his fists were clenched and shaking. Looking over at his friend, he knew that Nick could see everything he was feeling in his eyes.

"C'mon, man," the other C.S.I. said gently, walking back to Warrick. "We've got work to do. The faster we get to it, the faster we find Cath, okay?"

Knowing that he was right, Warrick nodded, finally stepping fully into the room. "Let's get this bitch," he muttered.

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"I've got something!" Ryan called as he stared at the computer screen.

Greg was there in an instant, looking over his shoulder. "What is it?"

"She's got a storage unit on the outskirts of Vegas."

Greg frowned. "Why didn't that come up in the initial search?"

"It's under Hoskins – her mom's maiden name."

"How big is it?"

Ryan tapped on the keys, until he had a layout of the storage space. When he saw it, he whistled. "It's huge."

"You think that's where she could be keeping Cath?"

"I think we definitely need to check it out. C'mon. Let's go tell H and Gris."

As they turned to leave the lab, the rest of the team walked in.

"Hey," Greg greeted. "We were just coming to find you guys. Did you get anything at the apartment?"

Sara nodded. "We've got fingerprints from the dishes that were in her sink and they definitely look like they came from different hands. Can you run them?"

Greg took the prints from her and immediately put them into the system. Ryan turned to Calleigh and Natalia.

"What about you guys?" he asked. "Was there any evidence on the…" He trailed off, looking at the Las Vegas team uncomfortably.

Calleigh shook her head. "Nothing. She used a hunting knife, but nothing broke off in the wound, and the cut wasn't distinctive enough to be able to get a match."

"Well we've got matches over here," Greg announced. He tapped on the keyboard a couple more times and then stepped to the side. "Meet Ronnie's friends."

Nick leaned forward, reading the names that went along with the prints. "Armed robbery, assault, rape, attempted murder, murder…these guys are a bunch of thugs."

"So now we know _who_ has her…what about actually finding her?" Warrick asked, frustration clear in his voice.

"We found a storage unit," Ryan told them. "It's big, and it's just inside the city limits. There's a good chance that she's there."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" the taller C.S.I. growled.

Without another word, the team left the lab, moving as one as they followed the best lead they'd had since the nightmare had begun.

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They parked the SUVs some distance from the unit, not wanting to draw attention with their vehicles. Moving quickly but cautiously, they split up, surrounding the low building numbered twenty-nine. After doing a sweep, they joined up again at the front door.

"This is the only entrance or exit, H," Ryan told him. "No windows, no vents…nothing."

"Then it looks like we'll have to go in the front door," Horatio replied, his hands on his hips.

"Won't she be expecting that, though?" Greg asked.

Sara shook her head. "She has no reason to think we have any idea who she is. She took the evidence, erased the results from the DNA test…she probably thinks we're back at the lab, trying to figure out who killed Hodges."

"So we go in," Grissom agreed. "Weapons out, eyes and ears open. We don't know what Ronnie has set up in there, and we don't want to endanger ourselves or Catherine and her daughter. Don't hesitate – if any of the perps refuses to put down their weapon, take them down. But don't shoot to kill. I want to know why they chose us."

The door was locked, but Ryan made quick work of it, getting down on one knee to pick it. It swung in on silent hinges, and the C.S.I.s moved in quickly and fanned out, their guns at the ready.

Right in front of them stood a wall that stretched across the length of the room. There were two doors, one on each side of the wall, each with a window at head height. Warrick immediately went for the door on the left, bringing his head in front of the window so that he could see what was happening inside. The way color drained from his face had Ryan running to join him, his lock-picking set already in his hands. He worked quickly, and when the door finally opened, he raced across the room to the door on the right.

Warrick moved into the room immediately, his weapon out. He saw Catherine on the floor, weakly pounding on the glass and calling her daughter's name. Ronnie stood in the far corner, her eyes glowing as she watched the older woman suffer. He turned to deal with the woman who had caused them so much pain, but a movement to his right caught his attention. Turning his head, he saw what had Catherine so upset.

The room was separated by the one next to it by a wall of Plexiglas. On the other side of the acrylic glass, he could see Lindsey on the floor, with three large men towering over. They were pulling at her hair and her clothes, attacking her mercilessly. She fought back as hard as she could, but it was obvious that her strength was beginning to wane – bruises and scratches littered her face and arms, as though the fight had been going on for some time.

At that instant, the far door burst open, and Warrick saw the rest of the team flood into the room. He heard their muffled shouts as they demanded that the perps back away from Lindsey. Two of them complied, but the third pulled out his weapon. Shots were fired, and Warrick was relieved to see the perp go down instead of one of his friends.

Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, but as Warrick turned back to Ronnie, he realized that he had made a fatal mistake. The former C.S.I. had had just enough time to rush forward, wrapping an arm around Catherine's neck and dragging her to her feet. In her other hand was a syringe, which she held to the woman's throat. Warrick felt others join him, and his mind distantly registered that Grissom was next to him, his gun trained on Ronnie.

"Well this is unexpected," their former colleague remarked. "And unfortunate. We were just getting to the fun part."

"What did you do to her?" Warrick demanded.

"Nothing, really. Just pumped her full of drugs so that she wouldn't be strong enough to fight back. Don't worry – it's not permanent."

"Let her go," he growled.

"No." She tightened her grip on Catherine. "Take another step and I'll plunge this into her neck. And trust me, she won't survive these drugs."

"Then let's talk," Grissom said, trying to sound calm. "Let's talk about what you want."

Ronnie laughed hollowly. "What I want? I don't _want_ anything."

"Then why did you do all this?" he asked, genuinely confused.

She shrugged. "I was sick of always tagging behind the 'prized' children. Your C.S.I.s could do no wrong. But me…I was just the new kid on the block. You all acted as though I wasn't even there, never noticing me. I was sick of it. And then Caine came, bringing his team, and suddenly there was no more room for poor little Ronnie."

"How did you pick who you would take?"

"It was obvious from the beginning who was attached to whom. I figured the way to cause the most pain was to split them apart."

"So that's it?" Warrick asked, incredulous. "We wouldn't let you sit at the popular kids' table, so you decided to kidnap our friends and put them through hell? You could have killed them!"

"I knew there was a good chance you'd get to them in time. Though Catherine and Lindsey weren't supposed to survive. Can I ask how you found us?"

"Hodges wasn't dead when you left him," Grissom explained. "He texted Greg your name and we put it together."

Ronnie grimaced. "Amateur mistake – I should have caught that one. And now Lindsey is safe as well." She sighed. "Oh well, at least I'll take Catherine with me."

"Like hell you will," Warrick argued. "There's no way out, Ronnie. Give up now and you'll leave with your life."

She pretended to think about that for a minute. "Nah…I think I'd rather go out with a bang."

They saw her muscles tighten as she prepared to plunge the syringe into Catherine's neck. Warrick went to shoot, knowing that he was going to be too late. But before the needle pierced Catherine's skin, a shot sounded from his right, and a bullet ripped through Ronnie's left shoulder. The force of the collision sent her flying to the side, they syringe dropping to the ground.

Warrick looked up in surprise, wondering who had fired the shot. Standing in the other room, Calleigh held her gun steady, a look of determination and certainty on her face. The Plexiglas that had separated them was dissolved away, with traces of paint thinner around its edges. Satisfied with her work, Calleigh nodded at him before holstering her weapon and turning away.

With Ronnie no longer holding her up, Catherine had sunk to the ground. Without hesitation, Warrick moved towards her, scooping her up in his arms and cradling her against his chest. He barely noticed that Grissom was handcuffing Ronnie and reading her her rights. Moving forward, he just whispered soothing words in Catherine's ear, promising her that she was safe, that her daughter was safe, and that everything would be okay.

As soon as they were out of the storage unit and back in the sunlight, Lindsey broke away from Nick and Sara, running towards her mother. She collided with Warrick, her arms wrapping around his torso as she talked to Catherine, tears streaming down her face. His own tears falling, Warrick sank to the ground, pulling the two women with him. He held them both tightly, rocking them, telling them over and over again that he had them, that nobody else was going to hurt them. Catherine just clung to her friend and her daughter, relief washing over her as she realized that the nightmare was finally over.


	10. Chapter 10

Calleigh paused outside of the hospital room door, mentally warring with herself. Every instinct told her that she should run, that if she opened that door, she was never going to be able to walk away. But Calleigh was so tired of running, of hiding behind her walls. Taking a deep breathe, she turned the handle and stepped quietly into the room.

Eric's head snapped up immediately, a smile gracing his lips when he saw who it was.

"Hey."

Calleigh couldn't help but smile back. "Hey yourself."

He heard the slight catch in her voice, and his smile faded. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She opened her mouth to tell him that she was fine, but the lie wouldn't come this time. So she closed both her mouth and the distance between them, taking his hand in hers. Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to blink them back or brush them away.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered raggedly. All the emotion she had been holding back stuck in her throat, forcing out a sob as she tried desperately to breathe.

Seeing her pain, Eric reached out immediately, pulling her up onto the bed. Tucking her body against his, he held her close, running his fingers gently through her hair.

"Shh…" he whispered. "It's okay, Calleigh."

She couldn't believe how freeing it was to finally be in is arms. Letting herself cry for the first time in a very long while, Calleigh let Eric comfort her, taking solace in knowing that he was alright and that she might not have missed her chance with him just yet.

As her tears subsided, she wiped her eyes and rested her head on his chest, toying with the collar of the hospital gown.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Eric frowned, tilting her head up so he could see her face. "For what?"

"When we found you, the only thing I wanted to do was run over and hold you, to tell you that you were safe now."

He sighed. "It's okay, Cal – I understand."

She shook her head. "Eric, I knew that if I touched you, if I let you see what was going on inside of me, that would be it. I would have broken down and never let you go." Calleigh took a deep breath. "I have always prided myself on my…professionalism. But when you get down to it, people are more important. I…" Her breath caught, tears once again threatening. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." She laughed suddenly, wiping at her eyes. "God, that sounds so cheesy."

Eric rested is forehead against hers, his heart pounding at her words. "You're safe with me, Calleigh," he assured her.

"I know. And somehow that scares me more than anything." She shook her head, letting her fingers trace the contours of his face. "God hates a coward," she murmured.

Leaning in, Calleigh pressed her lips to his, sighing at the contact. Eric responded immediately, tangling one hand in her hair as the other clung to her waist. With a low moan, he tilted his head to take the kiss deeper, pulling her closer in the process.

When they finally separated again, Eric smiled.

"I've been waiting a long time for that," he breathed.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, leaning in to kiss her again. "You were worth the wait."

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"Hey."

Warrick looked up to see Catherine and Lindsey standing above him, Catherine's arm draped protectively around her daughter's shoulders. He smiled at the sight, his relief at having found them in time still overwhelming.

"Hey," he replied. "You two okay?"

Catherine thought about that for a minute. "Physically, we're fine. I'm still a little sluggish. As for the other stuff…" She shrugged. "It'll take awhile."

He nodded in understanding. Silence enveloped them, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Finally, Lindsey turned to her mother.

"I'm going to go see Nick and Sara," she said, her words carrying a veiled meaning that Catherine immediately picked up on.

"You don't leave their sight," she warned. "You don't go anywhere without them. You –"

"I know," Lindsey cut in. "I promise, I'll attach myself at the hip, okay?" She hugged her mother tightly, letting it linger. "It'll be okay, Mom," she whispered. "Talk with Warrick. It'll make you feel better."

Pulling away, Lindsey moved toward Warrick, waiting until he had stood up before she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Thanks, Warrick."

He closed his eyes, running a gentle hand up and down her back. "I'm just glad you're alright, kiddo."

Lindsey stepped away, smiling at both of them before turning and walking down the hall. Catherine watched her closely, worry and relief warring on her face. Once her daughter reached Nick and Sara, she took a deep breath and turned to Warrick.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked.

He smiled. "I'd love to."

They started down one of the corridors, neither really sure of or caring in which direction they went. Walking closely, they let their shoulders touch, both needing the contact. That wasn't quite enough for Catherine, though, and she eventually slipped her hand into his.

The two friends moved slowly, just enjoying the presence of the other, and the fact that, for the moment, everyone they cared about was safe and sound. As they neared the front of the hospital, Catherine led Warrick outside. Taking a deep breath, she smiled.

"It's good to feel the breeze," she murmured.

Warrick couldn't find his voice, so he just squeezed her hand. Catherine felt the tension in his grip, and the way his hand was shaking as she turned to face him. Reaching up, she wiped away the few tears that had escaped down his face, letting her touch linger. She opened her mouth to say something – anything – that would lend him some comfort, but words eluded her. Finally, she simply brought her body against his, wrapping her arms around his torso and laying her head against his chest.

At first he was surprised at the gesture, but then he was relaxing into it. He tangled one hand in her blonde hair, while the other wrapped around her body, pulling her to him as tightly as he could. Resting his head in the crook of her neck, he breathed her in, simultaneously taking comfort from her presence, and lending her any strength he could.

"I love you," she murmured suddenly, her voice muffled by his shirt.

He didn't hesitate. He simply pulled her closer, bringing his lips to her ear. "I love you, too."

They held onto each other for a couple more minutes before reluctantly pulling away. Catherine wiped at her eyes, looking back toward the hospital doors.

"I should get Lindsey home."

"Yeah. You guys must be exhausted."

Catherine nodded, and then looked up at him again. "Do you want to come home with us?" she asked nervously.

Warrick's eyes softened, and he gave her a warm smile. "Best offer I've had," he said quietly.

Returning his smile, Catherine slipped her hand back into his. Then they turned and walked back through the doors, heading back to their friends.

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The entire lab was at the funeral, along with Hodges' family and close friends. The ceremony was simple and to the point, the C.S.I.'s mother and sister quietly crying in the front row. There had been a lot of discussion as to who would speak, but finally it was Grissom who had been chosen, and he got up to face the crowd.

"David…" He paused, clearing his throat. "Hodges was a beloved member of our lab, and more importantly, he was our friend, a part of our family. He was always there when something needed to be done, and he gave out smiles as readily as he could. He shouldn't have died. And it didn't happen to him because he was targeted, or because he had crossed the wrong person. He was killed because he was doing his job. And with the last ounce of strength that he had, he protected his friends, saving two of them from an unimaginable fate. David Hodges was a good man, and a good friend. He will be sorely missed…and greatly remembered."

As Grissom stepped down and moved back to his seat, Hodges mother and sister were no longer the only ones crying. Tears fell and friends clung to one another as they each said goodbye to one of their own.

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"That's you," Sara said as Grissom's flight number was called.

"It is," he confirmed.

They all stood up then – Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Sara, Greg and Jim – as Gil gathered his carry-on bag. For a moment they just stood there, no one really sure of what they were supposed to say or do. But then Catherine stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her friend and hugging him tightly.

"I'm going to miss you," she said fiercely. "And I will hunt you down if you don't keep in touch."

Gil chuckled. "Don't I know it."

One by one, the others said their goodbyes with handshakes and hugs. At last, Sara was the only one left, and the rest of the team backed away, giving the two of them some privacy.

"So…" she said, drawing the word out.

Grissom smiled at her. "So." Glancing up, he gestured slightly to Nick. "You and Nick?"

Sara blushed. "Nothing's happened…"

"Yet."

She wrinkled her nose. "You have to admit, Gil…it's a little awkward to talk to your ex-boyfriend about…" 

"About your new boyfriend?" he supplied.

"He's not my boyfriend," she asserted.

Gil reached out, cupping her face with his right hand, his expression serious. "You've almost lost him twice now, Sara. Don't risk it again."

Knowing he was right, she simply nodded, emotion suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. To hide her tears, she stepped forward and embraced him, holding him to her tightly for just a brief moment. Then they were separating again, and the announcement for his flight sounded again.

"Good luck," she said quietly.

He gave her one last smile. "You too."

Without another word, Grissom turned and walked across the floor, heading toward the gate. Sara watched him go with less sadness than she had expected, instead feeling hopeful for his future – for both of theirs.

When he had given the attendant his ticket and headed through the gate, Sara turned away, walking back toward the others. Giving them a genuine smile, she slipped her hand into Nick's, squeezing it gently.

"Let's go home."


End file.
